Meaning of DivorceNo fault divorce law in USAnnulmentDesertionMultiple realities of divorce: emotional, legal, economic, co-parenting, community, psychic divorceLegal meaning of divorceFault-based divorce: spouse files divorce claiming other spouse responsible for failed marriageNo-fault divorce: couple can divorce without proving other spouse responsible for failed marriage. Simply claim irreconcilable differencesAnnulment: granted if marriage was not legalDesertion: one spouse leaves the other.Seven Grounds for Divorce in NYIrretrievable Breakdown (added 2010)Cruel and Inhuman treatmentAbandonmentImprisonmentAdulteryJudgment of SeparationSeparation AgreementDeciding what information to put in divorce papers can be complicatedBut process for many divorces in AZ is simpleAZ is no fault divorce stateMultiple realities of divorce6-Stations of divorce (no order). People experience some or all & they vary in intensity & length (Bohannan 1970)Emotional divorceLegal divorceCo-parental divorceEconomic divorceCommunity divorcePsychic divorceEmotional divorce: spouse feels “something isn’t right”Legal divorce: court-ordered termination of marriageEconomic divorce : division of property, child supportCo parental divorce : single-parent/stepfamiliesCommunity divorce : in-laws to ex-laws, single-parents feel isolatedPsychic divorce : feeling separate from ex-spouseDivorce in the USDivorce rate in USMeasuring divorce: ratio, crude, refinedPredictive divorce ratesIn 1974 more marriages ended in divorce than deathIn 1980divorce rates leveled offMany ways to measure divorceRatio measureCrude divorce rateRefined divorce rateRatio measureStatement “1 out of 2 marriages end in divorce”Number of divorces & marriages per yearIn 2010, ~2.1 million marriages & 872,000 divorces & annulmentsProblems with ratio measureTranslates to ~1/2 of marriages end in divorce. BUT 872,000 doesn’t rep all states , whereas 2.1 million reps all statesCrude divorce rateNumber of divorces per year for 1,000 peopleIn 2010, ~3.6 divorces per 1,000 AmericansIncludes everyone in populationSusceptible to age distribution & proportions of marrieds/singlesRefined divorce rateNumber of divorces per year for 1,000 married womenIn 2010, ~19.4 divorces per 1,000 married womenDoes not account variations in race, education, agePredictive Divorce RateEstimates # of new marriages that will endWas predicted that by end of 20th century ~43-46% of marriages would endToday, 35-45% of marriages end in divorce. Incorrect to estimate 50% end in divorceProblems: bases on prior birth cohorts. Cannot be assumed current and future cohorts are similar.Recently, divorce rate similar to what it was in the 70’sIn 2010, fewer divorces then before 1980Summary: Meaning of Divorce and Divorce in the USFault-based vs. No fault divorceAnnulmentDesertionMultiple realities of divorceRation measure of divorceCrude divorce rateRefined divorce ratePredictive divorce rateDecrease in US divorce rate since 1980Factors Affecting DivorceInternational divorce ratesChanges nature of familySocial integrationIndividualistic culturesEmploymentEducationReligionChanged Nature of FamilyIndividuals no longer interdependent on familyFamily less of a necessityFamily is a choiceSocial IntegrationDegree of interaction between individual and communityAfrican Americans born and raised in South less likely than in the North and WestPeople influenced by social networksIndividualistic Cultural ValuesUS is individualisticMarriage and family should bring happinessMarry for love and have high expectationsStruggles to balance family needs with individual needs can result in divorceEmployment StatusEconomic stress contributes to marital stressDual-earner couples face time strainsMen 6 X more likely to divorce working nights and married < 5 years with young kidsWomen 3 X more likely to divorce working nights and married < 5 years with young kidsMacrostructural Opportunity Perspective: attractive alternatives in workforce may increase divorceEducation LevelDecline in divorce during 80’s and 90’s was in college educated peopleDivorce higher for those with those with some college and no degreeDivorce lowest for women with college degree & women who did not complete high schoolEthnicityAfrican American women 2 X likely to divorce than Caucasian womenAfrican American women 3 X likely to divorce than Asian womenHispanic women (18.1 per 1,000 people) Caucasian women (16.3 per 1,000)Foreign born Mexican women 76% reduced divorce risk than Caucasian womenHispanics: Puerto Rican and Cuban women higher rates than Mexican womenReligionAll major religions discourage divorceCouples more religious have higher marital satisfactionGreater involvement in religious activities less chance of divorceLowest risk is when both spouses attend services regularlySummary: Factors Affecting DivorceChanged nature of familySocial integrationIndividualistic cultural valuesEmployment statusEducation levelEthnicityReligionLife Course Factors Affecting DivorceAge at time of marriageCohabitationRemarriageIntergenerational transmissionMarital happinessMarital problemsAge at MarriageYoung marriages more likely to end than older marriagesLess emotionally matureMore premarital pregnancyReduced education~25% of marriages end when marrying 25 years or older~40% of marriages end when marrying before 20 years oldCohabitationAssociated with divorce, depending on nature of relationshipIf couple understands they will eventually marry, less likely to suffer “cohabitation effect”If couple has no understanding of future, marriage more likely to endRemarriageAre people who remarry better partners next time around?Divorce rate for remarrieds higher than those first marriagesLow levels of educationUnwillingness to settle for unsatisfactory marraigesPersonality problemsStepchildren bring unique dynamics into remarriagesIntergenerational TransmissionWhen both spouses are adult children of divorce (ACOD) divorce 3X higher than if neither are ACODACOD marry younger , cohabit , economic hardshipDaughters of divorce less traditional about family , & more attached to employmentsResults on 400+ ACOD: older teens susceptible to parents attitudes, daughters express pro – divorce attitudes , post-divorce conflict increase sons negative attitudes toward divorceEnding a “Not Quite Good Enough” MarriageHigh-distress marriages frequent conflict, aggression, low levels of marital happinessLow-distress marriages less conflict,